PHOENIX (Tuesday, August 2, 2011) -- Attorney General Tom Horne today announced the charging of Rosario Valenzuela Bravo in Tucson on allegations stemming from a large scale theft from vulnerable adult victims.

The charges, filed July 12, 2011 in Pima County are a result of a joint investigation conducted by the Tucson Police Department, the Attorney General’s Special Investigations Section, and the Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud and Abuse Section of the Criminal Division.

Bravo, 55, was charged with 1 count of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, 3 counts of Forgery and 1 count of Theft/Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult.

According to the allegations, Rosario Bravo purported herself to be a licensed CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and was hired by the elderly victims to provide daily care in their home. In February, 2011 a family member realized that several of the victims’ accounts had been tampered with. An investigation ensued into the checking, savings and money market accounts as well as credit cards belonging to the victims. An accounting of the fraudulent transactions revealed a loss of over $60,000. The State has alleged that Ms. Bravo is responsible.

“These allegations demonstrate how important it is for this office to be vigilant in pursuing criminal predators who harm the most vulnerable among us,” Horne said. “For people to abuse their position of trust and steal from the very person they have been asked to care for is a particularly offensive crime and I am committed to prosecuting these types of cases vigorously.”

These charges are merely allegations, and Rosario Valenzuela Bravo is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case was referred to and is being prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Health Care Fraud and Abuse Section of the Criminal Division.